Wayne Gretzky, arguably one of the greatest hockey players of all time, has a few of my favorite quotes. First one is probably his most famous, and that is “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Slightly less well-known is this:

“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”

I will add to this and say, “I skate to where the puck [in my game] is going to be, not where it has been.”

When you are sourcing, do you think about where YOUR potential candidates are going to be, or do you just go to the same tired places because that’s where everyone else has been?

When looking for candidates, go where the candidates are going to congregate in your industry. And for each of us, that is going to be a different place. For example: a marketing sourcer is probably going to find a plethora of candidates through various popular social networks. An accounting sourcer – not so much.

The whole idea behind this quote is forward thinking and future planning. You have to be one step ahead of your target or you’re going to miss it, or be late to the game and get stuck with all the leftovers.

Are you a talent attraction professional? Start thinking 6-12 months ahead of your target audience. How is the economy going to affect them? How is the current labor market going to affect them? The latest technologies? Then locate resources discussing these types of topics and share them. You’ll earn brownie points for thinking of them and their future. And while you’re at it, digest those resources yourself. Chances are a few new candidate resources will surface when you start thinking ahead…

We’re each playing similar, yet decidedly unique, games here. Stop worrying about the puck in other people’s games. Make sure you’re following the puck in your game and look ahead to where it’s going to be.

Wonderful post. We are all moving pucks and the right approach is to know where the candidates are headed. We all have “goals” and it is to be netted by a great company.
Btw, awesome post. Waiting for your next post!

1. It is wrong to show Gretzky in a New York Rangers jersey. Not as wrong as showing him in a St. Louis Blues jersey, but still wrong. If you’re going to show him, show him at his greatest: when he was with the Edmonton Oilers or Los Angeles Kings.

2. There’s no dispute. He was the greatest. Even if you ignore his stunning statistics or somehow discount them because of the weak defense of his era, there’s no doubt that he did more to revolutionize the game of hockey than any other player. All that is in dispute is if he is the greatest in any sport. That’s harder to measure. For example, did Gretzky effect hockey more than Michael Jordan effected basketball? Muhammad Ali with boxing? Pele with soccer?